From developer Sam Horton of Funface Games comes Oroboros, an action title that borrows from games such as flOw and Snake. You control the Oroboros (a serpent forming a circle by swallowing its own tail) as you absorb energy clusters to unlock portals to new dimensions. As you progress, your tail grows to give you new abilities that let you combat the increasingly tough foes.

Your main goal in Oroboros is to protect your fragile tail while collecting the snowflake-like energy clusters that float on and off the screen. Your tail grows as you chow down on energy, leading you closer to your goal of opening a portal. But with a longer tail comes a greater danger of it being hit. Click and hold the left mouse button to coil it around your head for protection. Keep an eye on the stamina meter to the left, as when it runs out you won't be able to stay hidden any longer!

Each new dimension starts with an upgrade screen that allows you to spend evo points to enhance your abilities. Strengthen your tail or increase your agility to make the coming dimensions a bit easier to handle. The menu also introduces the main enemy of the level and gives you hints on how to evade it successfully.

Analysis: Oroboros doesn't come across as much of a game at first glance, but after playing through a few levels you'll realize there's surprising depth to it. The evo system adds a nice level of pseudo-strategy to the arcade-style title, and it gives a limited sense of progression as well. One of the game's biggest strengths is its audio and visual presentation. Think retro Atari vector meets new age sci-fi, complete with a techno soundtrack.

Oroboros is an excellent arcade "shooter" (avoider?) with loads of style.

to me, it too closely resembles flow without the put-togetherness that flow has. it plays like the creator played flow and wanted to turn it into a more conventional game, with levels and powerups, and, well, did- but in the conversion to an action game, it's lost graphic tightness, concept, and originality in favour of accessibility to shoot-em-uppers.

It's an interesting rendition of the flOw/Spore genre as an action game, but I'm not fond of the snake-like mechanic. It feels too much like an escort mission, because you're not guarding yourself, but these things that follow you. I never really felt like I was in control, not with the basic scheme and not with using powerups. In the end, it was rather like playing a mouse avoider.

If you're longing for the days when men were men and video games were hard, give it a try. For me, it's got all of the difficulty, but it never feels like you lost because of a lack of skill. It feels like you lost because you weren't in control. The gamer should be cursing themselves for failing yet again, not cursing the game for "making them lose."

This is so, so close to being a great game, I think. Personally, I liked the music, but more variety is in order.

I'd say my only gripe isn't so much about the game being tough, but that the entire time you're on the defensive. Blades are nice, but even fully upgraded they aren't that great. You also have to be very careful with them around those frog looking enemies because if you miss by just a tad they can still latch onto you and knock off 3 bits. Some sort of offensive mechanic built into the way the Oroboros moves would be a huge upgrade to the game, both in terms of general playability (i.e. fun factor) and depth of strategy. The ability to draw shapes with the Oroboros that perform certain actions (Okami) would be the way I'd go.

But even with those minor gripes aside this is still a solid game and worth playing for a few rounds.

I Agree CapnHulk about the need to be able to do something when the little frogs attach to you. I was always killed that way because being a small amount off from the blades would end my life. Other than not being able to defend yourself in this way, the game was pretty fun.

>> FunnyMan posted: For me, it's got all of the difficulty, but it never feels like you lost because of a lack of skill. It feels like you lost because you weren't in control. The gamer should be cursing themselves for failing yet again, not cursing the game for "making them lose."

It never really seemed like that for me. The first time I played it, I got around 80,000 and died because of playing bad. The second time I played it I got to level 50 with 45,001,015 points. Killed self so I could go to sleep and it said I was rank 69/30,915.
Honestly, the hardest enemies in the game are the purple balls on levels with a purple background or the white things you eat. You just have to get used to getting the segments with the blade powerup to hit the enemy. If you get the agility powerup, and circle the enemy, and then as you're moving away, use the retraction skill to aim your attack on them. Once you get used to it, you just sort of do it while collecting all the white orbs.

Overall, pretty fun game. Only wish the levels got a little harder or added more powerups.

Heh, this reminds me of a book I read once.
Silly kids book, but it had a magician who owned a two-headed and intelligent snake, named Ouroboros and he had a biddable fire named Ignus.
Though the names are mixed up, it reminded me of the fire(who, consequently, is usually blue).
[book is called Hatching Magic by Ann Downer]

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